Black Sandwich: Suddenly Wednesday tape (FPE, 2017)

Super anxious lo-fi synth-punk with a pop core, vaguely reminding me of Jon Barba or Gerty Farish, but those are only top-of-the-head comparisons. There’s somewhat deceiving moments of pure poppiness such as “New U”, and there’s also cathartic screeds like the “It only hurts when I breathe in / It only hurts when I breathe out” part during “Butt Nugget”. Also, the final track “For I Am Satan” is described as being about suffering a mental breakdown after an abortion, and right before it, “Driven By the Hive” is about being abandoned by one’s father. And in the middle is a sweet, heartbreaking sorta-darkwave love song called “Branches”. This all sounds awkward, amateur, and emotionally confused, and I love it. Tape and digital available from Bandcamp.